Director

About Geoffrey Rockwell

Dr. Geoffrey Martin Rockwell is a Professor of Philosophy and Humanities Computing at the University of Alberta, Canada. He received a B.A. in philosophy from Haverford College, an M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Toronto and worked at the University of Toronto as a Senior Instructional Technology Specialist. From 1994 to 2008 he was at McMaster University where he was the Director of the Humanities Media and Computing Centre (1994 - 2004) and he led the development of an undergraduate Multimedia program funded through the Ontario Access To Opportunities Program. He has published and presented papers in the area of philosophical dialogue, textual visualization and analysis, humanities computing, instructional technology, computer games and multimedia. He is the project leader for the CFI (Canada Foundation for Innovation) funded project TAPoR, a Text Analysis Portal for Research, which has developed a text tool portal for researchers who work with electronic texts and he organized a SSHRC funded conference, The Face of Text in 2004. He has published a book "Defining Dialogue: From Socrates to the Internet" with Humanity Books.

Message from Geoffrey Rockwell

Founded by Director Jerry Varsava, KIAS is now in its seventh year of operation. I was appointed for a 5 year term starting in 2013 and spent the first year adapting our programmes following a review.

KIAS focuses on supporting interdiscplinary research in the social sciences, arts and humanities across 10 faculties at the University of Alberta. KIAS is now developing collaborative activities with other units at the University of Alberta and we hope to develop new relationships with centres across Canada and abroad to support research across sectors and universities. I look forward to working with the Administrative Board, the Advisory Council and with the Research Committee to build on our activities in order to better serve research at the University of Alberta that asks about the human and society. I hope that KIAS can live up to the vision of Drs. Peter and Doris Kule when they endowed the Institute: KIAS scholars will undertake research in the humanities, social sciences, and arts that will foster greater understanding of the complex and broad human issues that such a history and legacy invoke such as political oppression, diaspora studies, folklore, multiculturalism, minorities, the meanings of cultural identity, religious persecution, the politics of famine and food distribution, the World Wars and revolution, the environment, the Canadian and European North, global peace and conflict, and other themes that emerge as researchers attempt to create greater understanding of the most important issues of the day.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter @KIASAlberta, or by dropping in to our office in 337 Arts & Convocation Hall. Tell us what KIAS could be!

Looking forward to great years ahead,

Geoffrey

What is KIAS? Interview with Geoffrey Rockwell

Check out this short video interview with Geoffrey Rockwell to learn about how the Kule Institute for Advanced Study can support your research!